Moisture-extracting press



Jan. 26, 1954 STRIKE 2,667,056

MOISTURE-EXTRACTING PRESS Filed April 14, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet l Zimnentor 650/265 M 57'R/KE a zww Qttomeg 1954 G. N. STRIKE 2,667,056

MOISTURE-EXTRACTING PRESS 12 3nventor 650/265 M 57mm? figjmw Gttorneg Jan. 26, 1954 e. N. STRIKE 2,667,056

MOISTURE-EXTRACTING PRESS Filed April 14, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Murder GEORGE /V. 5mm:-

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Patented Jan. 26, 1954 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOlSTURE-EXTRACTING PRESS George N. Strike, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application April 14, 1948, Serial No. 21,018

3 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus that is more particularly designed for use in commercial laundries for extracting the moisture from linens, clothes, etc., after the same have been washed. More specifically, the invention deals with a hydraulic press for extracting such moleture. The invention further contemplates a novel method for handling washed items between the washing machines and means for drying said items.

An object of the present invention is to provide rapid and efiicient apparatus for extracting moisture from washed clothes.

Another object of the invention is to provide hydraulic means for eifecting such moisture extraction.

Another object of the invention is to provide means in the form of a truck that receives washed clothes directly from the washing machines, and apparatus that receives the clothes-filled truck and extracts the moisture from said clothes while the same is in the truck.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel wet wash handling system or method whereby wash is efliciently handled between the washing and drying thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means within the truck that automatically compensates for variations in the thickness of the wash therein, whereby substantially uniform pressure throughout is applied to the wash for efficient moisture extraction therefrom.

My invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following descripton. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention. which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a moisture extracting press embodying features of the present invention, portions of the same being broken away.

Figs. 2 and 3 are plan sectional views as taken on the respective lines 2-2 and 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the upper portion of the press and shown in operated condition.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a bundle of wash as produced by the press after removal of the same from the press.

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the wash of said bundle in the process of being dumped.

Fig. 7 is an open plan view of a member serving as a bag that encompasses the bundle shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

That form or" the invention which is illustrated comprises, generally, hydraulically operable means Id, means I i to support the same within a pit l2 below a floor [3, a press head it spaced from the means 18 and the floor 53, means efiecting said spacing, a clothes truck i8 adapted to be positioned between the means iii and the head i4, and bag means l'l encompassing the clothes in the truck.

The hydraulicaly operable means comprises a cylinder it that has a closed bottom it and a fixed flange 20 around its open top. Within the cylinder, at the open top thereof, there is provided a bearing liner 2!, the same being counterbored for a set of packing rings 22 preferably of the chevron type. A gland ring 23 is secured by means of suitable bolts 2 to flange 20 to retain the packing 22.

The means iii further includes a ram or piston 25 that is longitudinally movable in cylinder 58, is guided by liner 2 l, and elfects a seal with packing 22. A pipe 26 enters cylinder i8 and serves to conduct liquid to and from the interior of said cylinder, under control as by a suitable valve, to effect selective projection and retraction of rain 25 in a manner conventional for hydraulic means of the instant type. The ram may be weighted as at 2'! to insure retraction thereof upon draining of the liquid in cylinder IS.

The upper end of ram 25 is provided with a cap 28 that is concavely dished to form a spherical seat 29 for a platen 3% having a spherical part 3| resting in said seat. The platen is thereby supported on the ram for universal compensating movement. Said platen is of sumcient weight and mass to retain its position on the ram so that its upper flat face 32 maintains its operative position.

The means i 4 comprises a base 33 that comprises a base plate 34, a central collar 35, and a suitable number of strengthening ribs 36, all interconnected by suitable welds, or, if desired, integrally formed as a casting. The base plate is preferably formed with a square outer contour and has a central opening 31 through which cylinder l8 extends.

In practice, the base 33 is embedded in the concrete walls 38 that line the pit l2 and extends across said pit to support the means It therein. A ring 39 is welded to cylinder I8 below flange and said ring rests on collar 35 to obviate any undue strains on said flange 20. It will be seen that there are no hydraulic forces on base 33 that may tend to dislodge it from its embedded position. However, the base itself is subject to hydraulic forces and should be designed to suitably withstand such forces.

The base 33 is so located in the pit that, with the ram in its lowermost position, the top face 32 of platen 35 is substantially flush with the floor it. In practice, a floor plate til is positioned to extend across the pit and the same is formed with a central clearance opening 4| for the platen 30.

The press head it comprises a relatively thick head plate 42 that, for strength, has welded to it a suitable number of ribs 43 converging on a central boss 44. The head also has a square outline to accord with that of base 33. In practice, head plate 32, on its under side, is provided with a preferably wooden layer 45 that is lined with resilient material d5 such as rubber. This liner and layer receive the press forces later indicated, and yield, in limited degree, to said forces 5 to minimize wear on elements engaged therewith.

The means i5 is shown as four columns or posts ll that connect the base and head of the press, said posts being arranged at the corners of the respective plates that they connect. Alternatively, said posts may be replaced by side walls of suitable strength to afford a passageway for the truck 15 so that the same can be transported to a position between head i l and floor plate 40 and platen 30 as illustrated in Fig. 1.

In connection with the press above described, there may be embodied the usual safeties attending such machines. One such safety may comprise a door or other bar that is in the path of movement of the truck and operated thereby to release the press for operation. All other sides of the press may be protected by suitable barriers. A central position for the truck in the press is achieved through the medium of a loeating and centralizing element :33 that extends across the two rear posts 41' substantially as shown in Fig. 2. v

The truck l5 comprises a tubular body 49 that is preferably cylindrical, a reinforcing band 58 around the upper end of said body, and an annular angle member 54 that frames the lower end and comprises a ledge extending inward of the body. The body is shown as supported on a pair of front wheels 52 and a rear caster wheel 53 that provide for flexibility of movement of the truck along the fioor in any direction.

The truck is provided with a bottom in the form of a plate 54 that normally rests on angle ledge 51 and is adapted to be moved upward in the body 49 by the platen 30 as the latter is elevated by ram 25. A sealed bag 55 that is formed of pliable impervious material, such as rubber, is positioned on plate 5d and is filled with a substantially non-compressible liquid as water. A suitable filling valve 56 is provided for the bag to prevent escape of the liquid therein and the same extends through a clearance hole provided in plate 54 and is accommodated by a suitable recess in the platen. The bag 55 is of generally fiat form having a peripheral wall 51 that has sufficient rigidity to resist bowing under pressure applied to the top wall 53 of the bag.

The bag means ll comprises a water pervious element that is formed as a fiat fabric sheet 59 that is adapted to line the inside of truck body 49 as shown in Fig. 4. Said sheet, as illustrated, is formed with opposed pairs of tabs 60 that have holes or grommets SI for a hook 52. The sheet 59 is so formed that the same covers the top wall 58 of bag 55, lines the inner face of body 59, and so overlaps at 63 that the same completely encompasses wet wash placed in the truck.

In operation, the wash is removed from the washing machine and placed in the truck in its wet condition. The separate items of wash are arranged in layers to, more or less, uniformly fill the truck either to the top or to a desired level. The free ends of the bag ll are then folded over the top of the wash so that the same is enclosed in the bag. While the ram 25 is in lowered position, the truck is wheeled into position against member d8.

Liquid is then pumped into cylinder l8 and the ram rises, picks up truck bottom 54 and compresses the wash against press head ifi. It will be evident that the wash can be compressed to a fraction of its initial height and in the course thereof, the moisture in the wash is forced outwardly, the major portion spilling over the top of the truck while some of the moisture will drain 01f around the edge of bottom wall 5%.

Since the items of wash cannot be placed to provide a uniform thickness of wash throughout, the top wall 53 will flex according to such variation and displace the liquid in bag 55 accordingly. This phenomenon is clearly shown in Fig. 4. This compensating feature insures substantially uniform pressure on the wash to obtain maximum extraction of the moisture therefrom.

In practice, the wash, as it is being compressed, will tend to spread and frictionally engage the inner face of the truck body d9 with a force sufiiciently great to bodily lift the truck against head Hi. In that case, the upper edge of the truck body may be scalloped or otherwise formed to permit of free flow outward of extracted moisure.

It is evident that the bag ll will compress with the wash as its height is foreshortened, creases or wrinkles forming therein. However, this creasing is immaterial, in so far as moisture extraction is concerned. The creases embody an advantage when, after the ram is lowered and the truck moved away from the press, the hook 62 is engaged with tabs Bil for the purpose of lifting the compressed bundle from the truck. During such lifting, the creases will open in varying degree to free the mentioned frictional engagement of the bundle and truck body and allow the hook to readily lift the bundle from the truck.

The hook, by suitable overhead transport means, may then move the bundle to any point desired. In practice, it is desired to fluff dry the washed items. Accordingly, the bundle is moved to a device for effecting such drying. Then, by unhooking the tabs 58 of one side of the enveloping bag H, as shown in Fig. 6, either the Washed and compressed items can readily fall into the drier or be assisted to fall thereinto, as the case may be. The bag I! may again be used to line a truck and the truck again filled with wash, and the moisture in said wash again extracted by the press.

The prior method of centrifugal drying is timeconsuming, and it will be seen that novel means, including novel apparatus, has been provided to carry out a novel method for drying and handling wash between a washing machine and a drying unit; that said method and means are particularly useful in commercial laundries; and that the other objects, features and advantages of the invention have been fulfilled by the instant apparatus.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A press of the character described comprising, in combination, hydraulic means including a fixed cylinder and a ram movable in said cylinder, a base member anchored in the walls of a pit in which the hydraulic means is positioned and supporting said cylinder, a floor extending across the top of the pit and having an opening through which the ram is adapted to move, the operating end of the ram being normally flush with said floor, a press head aligned with the hydraulic means and spaced from the floor, spaced members connecting the press head and base member, a portable truck for receiving wet wash and movable along the floor and between the spaced members to a position between the ram and the head, and a locating stop for the truck carried by the spaced members to align said truck with the ram, said locating stop having a portion transversely shaped similar to the transverse shape of the truck to constitute a nest centering the truck with the ram, said truck having a movable bottom that is adapted to be moved toward the head by the ram to compress the wash in the truck, said truck bottom including means automatically compensating for any variations in the thickness of the articles comprising the wash whereby substantially uniform pressure is exerted on all of the articles of wash.

2. A press of the character described comprising, in combination, an hydraulic ram and a floor, said hydraulic ram having its operating end normally flush with the floor, a press head aligned with the ram and spaced above said floor, spaced members extending downward from the press head toward the floor, a truck-aligning stop member spanning between two of said spaced members and offset relative to the ram, and a portable truck for receiving a bag of wet wash and movable along the floor and against said stop member to an aligned position between the ram and the head, said locating stop having a portion transversely shaped similar to the transverse shape of the truck to constitute a nest centering the truck with the ram, said truck having a movable bottom in the path of the ram whereby, upon movement of the ram toward the head, the wash in the truck is compressed between the movable bottom and the press head, said truck bottom including means automatically compensating for any variations in the thickness of the articles comprising the wash whereby substantially uniform pressure is exerted on all of the articles of wash, said compensating means comprising a sealed liquid-filled bag on the truck bottom and having a flexible wall engaged with the bottom of the wet wash bag.

3. A press of the character described comprising, in combination, hydraulic means including a fixed cylinder and a ram movable in said cylinder, a base member anchored in the walls of a pit in which the hydraulic means is positioned and supporting said cylinder, a floor extending across the top of the pit and having an opening through which the ram is adapted to move, the operating end of the ram being normally flush with said floor, a press head aligned with the hydraulic means and spaced from the floor, spaced members connecting the press head and base member, a portable truck for receiving a bag of wet wash and movable along the floor and between the spaced members to aposition between the ram and the head, and a locating stop for the truck carried by the spaced members to align said truck with the ram, said truck having a movable bottom that is adapted to be moved toward the head by the ram to compress the wash in the truck, said locating stop having a portion transversely shaped similar to the transverse shape of the truck to constitute a nest centering the truck with the ram, said truck bottom including means automatically compensating for any variations in the thickness of the articles comprising the wash whereby substantially uniform pressure is exerted on all of the articles of wash, said compensating means comprising a sealed liquid-filled bag on the truck bottom and having a flexible wall engaged with the bottom of the wet wash bag.

GEORGE N. STRIKE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 86,146 Fowler Jan. 26, 1869 697,251 Hubbell Apr. 8, 1902 1,191,661 Cadwell July 18, 1916 1,476,531 MacIlwaine Dec. 4, 1923 1,602,667 Hansen Oct. 12, 1926 1,671,913 Troy May 29, 1928 1,738,326 Smith Dec. 3, 1929 1,782,595 Amsler Nov. 25, 1930 1,918,793 Baker July 18, 1933 1,996,772 MacKenzie Apr. 9, 1935 2,050,484 Burry Aug. 11, 1936 2,118,098 Merenda May 24, 1938 2,242,792 Panzer May 20, 1941 2,378,606 Watson June 19, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,194 Great Britain of 1885 666,569 Germany Oct. 22, 1938 856,151 France Mar. 11, 1940 

